Flat panel monitor support arm

ABSTRACT

A support arm for components such as flat screen monitors. In one embodiment, the support arm includes rigid arm segment and a flexible arm segment. The flexible arm segment may be mounted adjacent to the supported component. The flexible arm segment includes a plurality of flexible tubes, each having a core surrounding by a filling material and a flexible coiled tube. Preferably, at least one of the flexible tubes is fixed at both ends while at least one of the flexible tubes includes a free floating end that is permitted to move longitudinally with respect to the fixed tube as the flexible arm is moved.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to support arms, and more particularly toan adjustable support arm for components such as flat panel monitors.

Conventional CRT computer monitors suffer in that they are large andrelatively heavy. As a result of their weight, conventional CRT monitorsare typically placed directly on a desk or other work surface. Althoughconventional CRT monitors are mounted on support arms in someapplications, this option in not practical in many situations. Supportarms for conventional CRT monitors are relatively expensive and theymust be mounted to a strong and durable mounting structure. Accordingly,conventional CRT monitors often occupy valuable desk space that could bebetter used for other things.

As a result of these and other problems, there is a steady increase inthe use of flat panel monitors as a replacement for conventional CRTcomputer monitors. Flat panel monitors occupy dramatically less spaceand are significantly lighter in weight than conventional CRT computermonitors. As a result of their reduced weight, flat panel monitors arealso more easily supported above a desk or other work surface by asupport arm. Although they are lighter than conventional CRT monitors,flat panel monitors are relatively heavy and still require strong anddurable support arms. Conventional support arms typically include largerigid arm segments that are joined by complex durable joints. Althoughthese conventional joints provide a level of adjustability, they areoften difficult to operate and provide a limit range of adjustability.With many conventional support arms, the joints must be unlocked to makeadjustments to the position of the monitor and then relocked once themonitor is in place. Accordingly, conventional support arms aretypically relatively expensive, provide limited range of motion andrequire significant effort to adjust. As a result, there remains acontinuing need for a flat panel monitor support arm that isinexpensive, easy to operate and highly adjustable.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The aforementioned problems are overcome by the present inventionwherein a support arm for a component, such as a flat panel monitor, isprovided with a plurality of flexible support members. The flexiblesupport members are preferably mounted adjacent to one another tocooperatively provide sufficient support for the component. In oneembodiment, one end of at least one of the flexible support members isfree floating to permit it to move longitudinally with respect to theother flexible support members as the arm is support arm moved.

In one embodiment, the support arm includes two flexible supportmembers, one disposed vertically above the other. The two supportmembers each include a first end that is fixed to a common base at oneend and a second end that terminates at a component mount. The componentmount is adapted to receive a component, such as a flat panel monitor.The second end of one of the two support members is fixed to thecomponent mount while the second end of the other support member is leftfree floating within a slide channel. This permits the support membersto move longitudinally with respect to one another as the flexiblesupport members are moved.

In one embodiment, each flexible support member includes aspiral-wrapped, flexible steel tube, a solid core disposed coaxiallywithin the flexible tube and a filler material filling the space betweenthe tube and the core. The filler material may be a conventionalsilicone caulking.

In another embodiment, the support arm includes a rigid lower armsegment and a flexible upper arm segment. By locating the flexible armsegment adjacent to the component, the moment arm applied to theflexible arm segment is reduced. In heavier applications, this caneliminate or dramatically reduce any creep that may occur in theflexible arm segment.

The present invention provides an inexpensive and highly adjustablesupport arm. The flexible support members provide essentially infiniteadjustability without the need to operate the locking and releasemechanisms incorporated into conventional rigid joints. The use of aflexible tube with one free-floating end facilitates movement of theflexible arms, maintaining support while making it easier to move thearm through a wider range of motion. The flexible arm segments areinexpensive and easily manufacture from conventional components. Thecombination of a solid core, coiled steel tube and silicone fillingmaterial provide the desired strength, while still permitting easyadjustment of the supported structure. The precise strength of theflexible support members can be easily controlled by varying thecharacteristics of the various components, for example, by varying thematerial or diameter of the core. Further, by providing a rigid lowerarm segment and a flexible upper arm segment, the present invention iseasily adapted for use in supporting heavier objects.

These and other objects, advantages, and features of the invention willbe readily understood and appreciated by reference to the detaileddescription of the preferred embodiment and the drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a support arm in accordance with anembodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 2A is an exploded perspective view of the support arm;

FIG. 2B is a cut away view of a flexible support member;

FIG. 3A is a side elevational view of a portion of the support armshowing the base, lower arm segment and coupling in a first position;

FIG. 3B is a side elevational view of a portion of the support armshowing the base, lower arm segment and coupling in a second position;

FIG. 4A is a side elevational view of a portion of the support armshowing the upper arm segment and joint assembly;

FIG. 4B is an exploded view of a portion of the support arm showing theupper arm segment and joint assembly;

FIG. 5 is a perspective view of a first alternative embodiment of thepresent invention;

FIG. 6 is an exploded perspective view of the first alternativeembodiment;

FIG. 7A is a side elevational view of a portion of the first alternativeembodiment showing a portion of the lower arm segment, the coupling andthe joint assembly in a first position;

FIG. 7B is a side elevational view of a portion of the first alternativeembodiment showing a portion of the lower arm segment, the coupling andthe joint assembly in a second position;

FIG. 8 is a side elevational view of the upper joint assembly of thefirst alternative embodiment;

FIG. 9 is a front elevational view of the upper joint assembly of thefirst alternative embodiment;

FIG. 10A is a perspective view of the second alternative embodiment; and

FIG. 10B is an exploded perspective view of portions of the secondalternative.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

A flat panel monitor support arm in accordance with a preferredembodiment of the present invention is shown in FIG. 1, and generallydesignated 10. Although the present invention is described in connectionwith a flat panel monitor support arm, the present invention is wellsuite for use with in support arms for other objects, such as flatscreen televisions, touch screen, etc. Referring now to FIG. 2, thesupport arm 10 generally includes a base assembly 12 that permits thesupport arm 10 to clamp to a mounting surface, such as a desk top (notshown), a flexible lower arm segment 14 that is mounted to the baseassembly 12, a rigid upper arm segment 16 mounted to the lower armsegment 14 and an upper joint assembly 18 mounted to the upper armsegment 16. The lower arm segment 14 is flexible to provide easy adjustof the flat panel monitor 200. In the illustrated embodiment, the lowerarm segment 14 includes three flexible tubes 52 a-c that are easily bentto vary the position of the flat panel monitor 200 (See FIG. 3A). Allthree of the tubes 52 a-c are fixed to the base assembly 12, while atleast one of the tubes 52 a-c is free floating at its opposite end toflexing movement of the lower arm segment 14.

In the illustrated embodiment, the base assembly 12 generally includes aclamp 20, a lower swivel mount 22 and an upper swivel mount 24 (See FIG.2A). The clamp 20 includes a generally C-shaped bracket 26 and athreaded clamp post 28 that is threadedly engaged with the bracket 26. Aconventional hand knob 30 and a clamp foot 32 are affixed to oppositeends of the clamp post 28. Manual rotation of the hand knob 30 permitsthe support arm 10 to be easily mounted to a support structure, such asa desk top (not shown). Although the present invention is described inconnection with a generally conventional screw-actuated clamp assembly,the present invention may include alternative mounting mechanisms. Forexample, the screw-actuated clamp assembly may be replaced byconventional cam-actuated or spring-actuated clamp assemblies. In otheralternatives, the clamp 20 may be eliminated and the support arm 10 maybe attached to the support structure by adhesive, screws, bolts or otherfasteners. In this embodiment, the lower swivel mount 22 is fixedlysecured to the bracket 26, for example, by a screw 38 and lock-nut 40.Alternatively, the lower swivel mount 22 and bracket 26 can beintegrally formed or secured by welding, adhesives or other conventionalmethods. As perhaps best shown in FIGS. 2A, 3A and 3B, the lower swivelmount 22 is generally cylindrical and defines an internal bore 34. Theinternal bore 34 is adapted to receive the pivot post 42 of the upperswivel mount 24. The lower swivel mount 22 also defines a threaded hole44 to receive a set screw 46 for pivotally securing the pivot post 42 inthe internal bore 34.

The upper swivel mount 24 is rotatably mounted to the lower swivel mount22 to permit the support arm 10 to rotate in through a generallyhorizontal plane. Referring again to FIG. 2A, the upper swivel mount 24is generally cylindrical with a rounded head 36. A pivot post 42protrudes from the undersurface of the lower swivel mount 22. As notedabove, the pivot post 42 is fitted within the internal bore 34 of thelower swivel mount 22. The pivot post 42 has an outer diameter that isonly slightly smaller than the internal diameter of the internal bore 34of the lower swivel mount 22. The pivot post 42 defines an annularrecess 48 that loosely receives set screw 46 to interconnect the lowerswivel mount 22 and the upper swivel mount 24. The upper swivel mount 24also defines a plurality of arm mounting bores 50 a-c, one to receiveeach of the flexible tubes 52 a-c. The upper swivel mount 24 furtherincludes a plurality of set screw holes 54 a-c, each to receive a setscrew 56 a-c for securing each of the flexible tubes 52 a-c in thecorresponding arm mounting bore 50 a-c.

As noted above, the lower arm segment 14 includes a plurality offlexible tubes 52 a-c (See FIGS. 2B-3B). In the illustrated embodiment,the lower arm segment 14 includes three flexible tubes 52 a-c, but thenumber of flexible tubes can vary from application to application.Referring now to FIG. 2B, each flexible tube 52 a-c generally includes acore 58, a filler 60 surrounding the core 58, a casing 62 surroundingthe core 58 and filler 60 and a flexible sleeve 64 surrounding thecasing 62. The core 58 is preferably manufactured from solid metal, forexample, one-quarter inch copper round stock or 0.156 inch annealedsteel or annealed aluminum round stock. The size, shape andconfiguration of the core 58 may vary from application to application.For example, the core 58 may be manufactured from a hollow core materialor from other flexible materials. In this embodiment, the casing 62 is agenerally conventional flexible steel tube formed from helically woundspring steel. The flexible steel tube can be replaced by other flexiblecasing materials depending primarily on the desired strength of theflexible tubes 52 a-c. For example, in some applications it may bedesirable to replace the flexible steel tube with a flexible plastictube, such as a conventional “accordion-style” plastic tube. The innerdiameter of the casing 62 is preferably substantially greater than theouter diameter of the core 58 so that an internal void 66 is disposedbetween the core 58 and the casing 62. The void 66 is preferably filledwith a filler 60, such as generally conventional silicone caulking.Other filler materials may be used in place of the silicone caulking.The filler 60 may be selected to increase or decrease the strength (e.g.flexibility or resistance to bending) of the flexible tubes 52 a-c.

It is desirable to match the strength (e.g. flexibility or resistance tobending) of the lower arm segment 14 to the weight of the component tobe support, such as a flat panel monitor 200. As the force required tobend the lower arm segment 14 increases, so does the effort required toadjust the position of the monitor 200. On the other hand, if the forcerequired to bend the lower arm segment 14 is too low, the support arm 10may creep or fall under the weight of the monitor 200. With aconventional 15″ flat panel monitor weighing approximately 7 to 9pounds, the desired balance can be achieved by providing a core 58 ofconventional annealed steel or annealed aluminum round stock with adiameter of 0.156 inches, a filler 60 of 100 percent silicone caulking,a casing 62 of conventional five eighth inch outer diameter flexiblesteel tube and a sleeve 64 of heat-shrink plastic.

Referring again to FIGS. 2A and 3A-B, the support arm 10 includes acoupling 68 that mounts to the free end of the lower arm segment 14. Inthis embodiment, two of the flexible tubes 52 a-b are fixedly secured tothe coupling 68, while the third flexible tube 52 c is free floatingwith respect to the coupling 68. More specifically, the coupling 68defines three lower arm mounting bores 70 a-c, which preferably extendparallel to one another and to the central axis of the coupling 68 (SeeFIG. 2A). Set screw holes 72 a-b are defined in communication with lowerarm mounting bores 70 a-b for securing the corresponding flexible tubes52 a-b within the bores 70 a-b by set screws 71 a-b. The third lower armmounting bore 70 c receives the free end 53 of the third flexible tube52 c. As perhaps best shown in FIGS. 3 a and 3 b, the free end of thethird flexible tube 52 c terminates within the third lower arm mountingbore 70 c. The flexible tube 52 c is not, however, fixed within thethird bore 70 c. Instead, the third flexible tube 52 c is permitted tomove freely within the third lower arm mounting bore 70 c as the lowerarm segment 14 is bent in one direction or another. The free floatingnature is perhaps best understood by comparison of the position of thefree end 53 of flexible tube 52 c within the third bore 70 c in FIGS. 3Aand 3B. This improves the flexibility and increases the available rangeof motion of the lower arm segment 14. Alternatively, the flexible tube52 c can be fixed to the coupling 68 and free floating with respect tothe base 12 to provide similar functional benefits. The coupling 68 alsodefines a pair of upper arm bores 73 a-b for receiving the upper armsegment 16. The upper arm bores 73 a-b closely receives the two tubesegments 84 a-b (described below) of the upper arm segment 16. Thecoupling 68 may also define set screw holes 76 a-b for securing the twotube segments 84 a-b to the coupling 68 by set screws 74 a-b. The upperarm bores 73 a-b and lower arm bores 70 a-b may be continuous with oneanother if desired. More specifically, upper arm bore 73 a and lower armbore 70 a may be opposite ends of a single bore extending entirelythrough the coupling 68 and, likewise, upper arm bore 73 b and lower armbore 70 b may be opposite ends of a single bore extending entirelythrough the coupling 68.

The upper arm segment 16 of the described embodiment extends from thecoupling 68 to support the upper joint assembly 18. In this embodiment,the upper arm segment 16 includes two adjacent segments of rigid tube 84a-b, for example, 0.720 inch diameter steel tube (See FIGS. 2A and3A-B). The size, shape and configuration of the upper arm segment 16 mayvary from application to application depending primarily on the desiredstrength and aesthetic characteristics. For example, the rigid tubesegments 84 a-b may be replaced by other rigid materials or by aflexible upper arm segment 16, such as the three flexible tubes 52 a-cof the lower arm segment 14.

An upper joint assembly 18 is mounted to the free end of the upper armsegment 16. The upper joint assembly 18 mounts to the flat panel monitor200 and is adjustable in various directions to control the position ofthe flat panel monitor 200. As perhaps best shown in FIGS. 4A and 4B,the upper joint assembly 18 generally includes a head 78, a first jointmember 80 pivotally mounted to the head 78, a second joint member 82pivotally mounted to the first joint member 80 and a panel mountingbracket 112 secured to the second joint member 82. The head 78 mounts tothe upper arm segment 14. In the described embodiment, the head 78defines two arm mounting bores 86 a-b that receive the ends of the twotube segments 84 a-b. The head 78 defines two set screw holes 88 a-b forsecuring the tube segments 84 a-b to the head 78 by set screws 90 a-b.The head 78 may also define a threaded through bore 94 for securing thehead 78 to the first joint member 80 and a plurality of spring seats 92a-d for seating bearing plunger springs 96 a-d and plunger balls 104 a-das described in more detail below. The first joint member 80 ispivotally mounted to the head 78 to permit adjustment of the jointassembly 18 along a single plane, for example, a vertical plane in theillustrated embodiment. The first joint member 80 defines a through bore98 for attaching the first joint member 80 to the head 78 by aconventional fastener 100. The through bore 98 may be counter-bore toprovide a recess for the head of the fastener 100. To permit pivotalmovement between the head 78 and the first joint member 80, the mountingfastener 100 is tightened only to the point where the desired resistanceto pivotal movement is achieved. A jam screw (not shown) is threadedlyinserted into threaded through bore 94 to abut and jam-lock the fastener100 in place. The first joint member 80 also defines a plurality ofplunger ball detents 102 adapted to receive plunger balls 104 a-d. Theplunger balls 104 a-d are spring biased by springs 96 a-d to bias thefirst joint member 80 in the positions dictated by the pattern of thedetents 102. The strength of the springs 96 a-d or the number ofspring/ball assemblies can be selected to provide the desired biasingforce. In some applications, it may be desirable to eliminate thespring/ball assemblies or replace them with conventional alternativebiasing mechanisms. The first joint member 80 also defines a threadedthrough bore 106. The second joint member 82 defines a correspondingthrough bore 108 for pivotally interconnecting the first and secondjoint members 80 and 82 by a conventional fastener 110. The through bore108 may be counter-bore to provide a recess for the head of the fastener110. To permit pivotal movement between the first joint member 80 andthe second joint member 82, the mounting fastener 110 is tightened onlyto the point where the desired resistance to pivotal movement isachieved. A jam screw 146 is threadedly inserted into through bore 106to abut and jam-lock the fastener 110 in place (See FIG. 4A). The secondjoint member 82 also defines a pair of bracket mounting holes 114 a-bfor mounting the bracket 112 to the second joint member 82. The bracket112 is a generally planar steel plate that defines a pair of mountingholes 116 a-b for mounting the bracket 112 to the second joint member 82by fasteners 118 a-b. The bracket 112 can be mounted to the second jointmember 82 by other conventional mechanisms, such as welding, adhesivesor other fasteners. Alternatively, the bracket 112 and second jointmember 82 can be integrally formed as a single unit. The bracket 112also defines a plurality of mounting holes 120 a-d arranged in a patternthat matches the mounting pattern of the product to be supported, suchas flat panel monitor 200. As a result, the flat panel monitor 200 canbe mounted to the bracket 112 by conventional fasteners (not shown). Thesupport arm 10 can be configured to support various products by varyingthe mounting hole pattern or by replacing the mounting hole pattern withother conventional mounting mechanisms.

The various components of the support arm 10 are manufactured usingconventional techniques and apparatus. In one embodiment, the lowerswivel mount 22, upper swivel mount 24, coupling 68, head 78, firstjoint member 80 and second joint member 82 are machined from nylon (e.g.nylon 616) round stock having a diameter of approximately 2 inches. Thenylon may be reinforced, for example, with glass fibers if desired.These components may, however, be manufactured using other conventionaltechniques and apparatus, such as injection molding or die casting, andusing other conventional materials, such as metal, thermoplastic.

To provide a mechanism for routing power cords and other wires, thesupport arm 10 may includes a plurality of cord clips 170 (See FIGS. 1and 2A). The cord clips 170 are intended to snap-fit over the flexibletubes 52 a-c of the lower arm segment 14 and the rigid tubes 84 a-b ofthe upper arm segment 16. This allows the user to place the cord clips170 as desired. Each cord clip 170 includes a pair of flexible,resilient legs 172 that are curved along a diameter that is slightlysmaller than the outer diameter of the flexible tubes 52 a-c and therigid tubes 84 a-b. The cord clip 170 includes a curved body 176 thatdefines a cord space 174 for receiving the desired power cord and otherwires. The size and shape of the cord space 174 can be easily adjustedas desired by varying the size and shape of the body 176. Although twocord clips 170 are shown, the number of cord clips can vary as desired.

Alternative Embodiments

The present invention is described above in connection with a supportarm 10 intended to support a conventional 13-15 inch flat panel monitor.The design and configuration of the support arm can be varied to adaptthe support arm to other uses. For example, the strength of the flexiblelower arm segment 14 can be increased to support heavier objects orreduced to support lighter objects. Further, the size or material typesof the various support arm components can be changed to provideincreased or decreased strength as desired. The configuration of thesupport arm may also be varied, for example, by reversing the positionof the lower arm segment and upper arm segment so the flexible armsegment is located adjacent to the joint assembly. In some application,the rigid arm segment may be eliminated all together to provide an armthat is flexible along its entire length. Further, in some applicationsit may be desirable to vary the number of flexible tubes that are freefloating at one end.

To illustrate the adaptability of the present invention, a firstalternative embodiment is described in connection with FIGS. 5-9. Thisalternative embodiment is intended for use with larger flat panelmonitors, such as 17-19 inch monitors. In this embodiment, the baseassembly 12′ is generally identical to the base assembly 12 describedabove including a clamp 20′, lower swivel mount 22′, upper swivel mount24′, C-shaped bracket 26′ and a clamp post 28′ with a knob 30′ and foot32′ on opposite ends (See FIGS. 5 and 6). The various elements of thebase 12′ may be increased in size or manufactured from strongermaterials to provide increased strength.

In this embodiment, the lower arm segment 14′ is rigid and the upper armsegment 16′ is flexible. As perhaps best shown in FIG. 6, the lower armsegment 14′ generally includes three rigid tubes 86 a-c′ similar to therigid tubes 86 a-b. The rigid tubes 86 a-c preferably extend parallel toone another through a gentle arc. The rigid tubes 86 a-c′ are preferablymanufactured from one half inch steel conduit.

The support arm 10′ includes a coupling 68′ interconnecting the lowerarm segment 14′ and the upper arm segment 16′. In this embodiment, thecoupling 68′ provides a joint that permits pivot movement of the upperarm segment 16′. The coupling 68′ generally includes a lower half 122′and an upper half 124′. The lower half 122′ defines three lower armmounting bores 70 a-c′ that are fitted over the upper ends of the rigidtubes 86 a-c′. The lower half 122′ preferably defines three set screwholes 160 a-c′ for securing the coupling to the lower arm segment 14′ byset screws 162 a-c′. The lower half 122′ also defines a through bore126′ for pivotally mounting the lower half 122′ to the upper half 124′.The through bore 126′ is preferably threaded to receive a mountingfastener 128′. To permit pivotal movement in the coupling 68′ themounting fastener 128′ is tightened only to the point where the desiredresistance to pivotal movement is achieved. A jam screw 146′ isthreadedly inserted into through bore 126′ to jam-lock the fastener 128′in place. The upper half 124′ is similar to the lower half 122′, beingconfigured to mount to upper arm segment 16′. The upper half 124′defines three upper arm mounting bores 72 a-c′. The upper half 124′preferably defines two set screw holes 164 a-b′ for securing thecoupling to the upper arm segment 16′ by set screws 166 a-b′. The upperhalf 124′ also defines a through bore 130′ for pivotally mounting thelower half 122′ to the upper half 124′. The through bore 130′ iscounter-bored to seat the head of fastener 128′. In the illustratedembodiment, the coupling 68′ also includes a plunger assembly forlocking the coupling 68′ in one of a variety of positions. The plungerassembly generally includes a plunger pin 136 mounted in the upper half124′ that interacts with a plurality of spaced locking holes 142 definedin the lower half 122′. The plunger pin 136 is mounted in a through bore144 defined in the upper half 124′. The plunger pin bore 144 iscounter-bored to seat a plunger spring 138 around the plunger pin 126for biasing the plunger pin 136 into engagement with the locking holes142. The plunger pin 136 protrudes from the upper half 124′ and includesa knob 140 to facilitate its actuation. In operation, the user simplydisengages the plunger pin 136 by pulling on the knob 140 and thenpivots the coupling 68′ to the desired position. When the plunger pin136 is released, the spring 138 will push the plunger pin 136 intoengagement with any aligned locking hole 142. The plunger assembly 134can be incorporated into one or more of the other pivot locations on thesupport arm 10′ as desired.

The upper arm segment 16′ includes three flexible tubes 52 a-c′. Theflexible tubes 52 a-c′ are generally identical to flexible tubes 52a-c′, each including a core (not shown) of conventional 0.156 inchannealed steel or annealed aluminum round stock, a filler (not shown) ofconventional 100 percent silicone caulking, a casing (not shown) ofconventional five eighth inch outer diameter flexible steel tube and asleeve (not numbered) of heat shrink plastic. As in support arm 10,flexible tubes 52 a-b′ are fixed at both ends, while flexible tube 52 c′has at least one free end. In the illustrated alternative embodiment,flexible tube 52 c′ is fixed at one end to the upper swivel mount 24′and its other end is free floating with respect to the coupling 68′.Movement of flexible tube 52 c′ is perhaps best seen by comparing theposition of the free end 53′ of tube 52 c′ in FIGS. 7A and 7B.Alternatively, the third flexible tube 52 c′ can be fixed to thecoupling 68′ and free floating with respect to the upper swivel mount24′.

The upper joint assembly 18′ is largely identical to upper jointassembly 18 except as described below. As perhaps best shown in FIG. 8,the upper joint assembly 18′ generally includes a head 78′, a firstjoint member 80′, a second joint member 82′ and a bracket 112′. The head78′, first joint member 80′ and second joint member 82′ are pivotallyinterconnected to provide two axes of pivotal motion. Unlike the head 78described above, the head 78′ defines three arm mounting bores 86 a-c′to mount the three flexible tubes 52 a-c′ of the upper arm segment 16′.The head 78′ includes three set screw holes 88 a-c′ for locking flexibletubes 52 a-c′ in place within the corresponding mounting bores 86 a-c′by set screw 90 a-c′.

In this alternative embodiment, the bracket 112′ is pivotally mounted tothe upper joint assembly 18′ to permit rotational movement of the flatpanel monitor 200. As shown in FIGS. 6 and 9, the bracket 112′ includesa central bracket mounting hole 114′ for securing the bracket 112′ tothe second joint member 82′ by a threaded fastener 118′. To permitrotational movement of the bracket 112′ the fastener 118′ is tightenedonly to the point where the desired resistance to movement is achieved.A set screw 150 is threadedly inserted into set screw hole 152 definedin the second joint member 82′ to lock the fastener 118′ in place. Tolimit rotational movement of the bracket 112′, the second joint member82′ includes a limit pin 154 that interacts with an arcuate slot 148defined in the bracket 112′ (See FIGS. 6 and 9). More specifically, alimit pin 154 protrudes from the second joint member 82′ into thearcuate slot 148 in the bracket 112′. The limit pin 154 may be threadedor frictionally fitted into a bore (not shown) in the second jointmember 82′. Alternatively, the limit pin 154 may be integrally formedwith second joint member 82′. As the bracket 112′ is rotated, the limitpin 154 moves along the arcuate slot 148. Movement of the bracket 112′is permitted until the limit pin 154 reaches either end of the slot 148.In this way, the arcuate slot 148 defines the range of motion of thebracket 112′.

A second alternative embodiment is shown in FIGS. 10A and 10B. In thisembodiment, the support arm 10″ is configured to mount two separateobjects, such as two flat panel monitors. As shown, the support arm 10″includes two arms 132 a and 132 b mounted to a common base assembly 12″.The arms 132 a and 132 b may be of any construction disclosed herein,however, in the illustrated embodiment, each arm 132 a and 132 b hasessentially the same construction as support arm 10. Referring now toFIG. 10, the base 12″ includes a lower swivel mount 22″ and an upperswivel mount 24″ that are generally identical to the lower swivel mount22 and upper swivel mount 24 described above. In addition, the base 12″includes a central swivel mount 156 that is interposed between the lowerswivel mount 22″ and the upper swivel mount 24″. The central swivelmount 156 includes a pivot post 180 that is pivotally fitted into thebore 34″ of the lower swivel 22″. The pivot post 180 is generallyidentical to pivot post 42 and it includes an annular recess 182 forsecuring the central swivel mount 156 by set screw 46″. The centralswivel mount 156 defines an internal bore 184 adapted to receive thepivot post 42″ of the upper swivel mount 24″. The central swivel mount156 also defines a threaded set screw hole 186 to receive a set screw188 for pivotally securing the pivot post 42″ of the upper swivel mount24″ in the internal bore 184. The arm 132 a is mounted to the centralswivel mount 156. In this embodiment, the central swivel mount 156defines a plurality of bores 190 a-c for mounting the flexible tubes 52a-c″ of the lower arm segment 14″ of arm 132 a. More specifically, thecentral swivel mount 156 defines three bores 190 a-c, each adapted toreceive the ends of the flexible tubes 52 a-c″. The central swivel mount156 preferably includes set screws for securing the flexible tubes 52a-c to the base 12″. The second arm 132 b is mounted to the upper swivelmount 24″ in the same manner described above in connection with supportarm 10. Accordingly, that structure will not be again described here. Ascan be seen, the central swivel mount 156 provides a simple structurefor permitting multiple components to be supported by the same base.

The above description is that of various preferred embodiments of theinvention. Various alterations and changes can be made without departingfrom the spirit and broader aspects of the invention as defined in theappended claims, which are to be interpreted in accordance with theprinciples of patent law including the doctrine of equivalents. Anyreference to claim elements in the singular, for example, using thearticles “a,” “an,” “the” or “said,” is not to be construed as limitingthe element to the singular.

1. A support arm comprising: a base having a mounting means for mountingsaid base to a mounting structure; a rigid arm segment; a flexible armsegment, said rigid arm segment and said flexible arm segment beingconnected to one another, said interconnected segments having a firstend and a second end, said first end being connected to said base; and acomponent mount connected to said second end of said interconnectedsegments.
 2. The support arm of claim 1 wherein said flexible armsegment includes a plurality of discrete flexible tubes extendingsubstantially parallel to one another.
 3. The support arm of claim 2wherein each of said plurality of flexible tubes includes a first endand a second end, at least one of said flexible tubes including a fixedfirst end and a fixed second end, at least one of said flexible tubesincluding a free floating first end.
 4. The support arm of claim 3further comprising a joint interconnecting said rigid arm segment andsaid flexible arm segment.
 5. The support arm of claim 4 wherein saidjoint includes a locking mechanism for selectively locking said joint ina desired position.
 6. The support arm of claim 3 further comprising ajoint disposed between said interconnected segments and said componentmount.
 7. The support arm of claim 1 wherein said flexible arm segmentincludes at least one flexible tube, said flexible tube including acore, a flexible casing surrounding said core in a spaced apartrelationship to define a void, and a filler material substantiallyfilling said void.
 8. The support arm of claim 7 wherein said core is asolid metal round stock.
 9. The support arm of claim 8 wherein saidfilling material is a silicone caulk.
 10. The support arm of claim 9wherein said casing is a flexible coiled steel tube.
 11. The support armof claim 5 wherein said rigid arm segment is secured to said base andsaid flexible arm segment is secured to said component mount.
 12. Thesupport arm of claim 1 further comprising a second rigid arm segment, asecond flexible arm segment and a second component mount; and whereinsaid second rigid arm segment, said second flexible arm segment and saidsecond component mount are connected to said base.
 13. A support armcomprising: a mounting base; a first arm segment mounted to said base; asecond arm segment mounted to said first arm segment opposite said base;and a component mount connected to said second arm segment, wherein atleast one of said first arm segment and said second arm second is aflexible arm segment.
 14. The support arm of claim 13 wherein saidflexible arm segment includes a plurality of discrete flexible tubesextending substantially parallel to one another.
 15. The support arm ofclaim 13 wherein each of said plurality of flexible tubes includes afirst end and a second end, at least one of said flexible tubes is afixed tube including a fixed first end and a fixed second end, at leastone of said flexible tubes is a floating tube having at least one freefloating end.
 16. The support arm of claim 15 wherein at least one ofsaid plurality of flexible tubes includes a core, a casing surroundingsaid core in a spaced relationship to define a void between said coreand said casing, and a filling material substantially filling said void.17. The support arm of claim 14 wherein said first arm segment isconnected to said second arm segment by a first joint, said first jointpermit pivotal movement between said first arm segment and said secondarm segment in at least one direction.
 18. The support arm of claim 17wherein said second arm segment is connected to said component mount bya second joint, said second joint permit pivotal movement between saidfirst arm segment and said second arm segment in at least one direction.19. The support arm of claim 18 wherein said flexible arm segment isfurther defined as said second arm segment.
 20. The support arm of claim19 wherein said fixed tube and said floating tube are vertically offsetfrom one another.
 21. The support arm of claim 13 further comprising athird arm segment, a fourth arm segment and a second component mount;and wherein said second third arm segment, said fourth arm segment andsaid second component mount are connected to said base and to oneanother to provide a support for a second component.
 22. A support armcomprising: a mounting base; a flexible arm segment mounted to saidbase, said flexible arm segment including a plurality of discreteflexible tubes extending substantially parallel to one another; and acomponent mount connected to said arm segment.
 23. The support arm ofclaim 22 wherein each of said plurality of flexible tubes includes afirst end and a second end, at least one of said flexible tubes is afixed tube including a fixed first end and a fixed second end, at leastone of said flexible tubes is a floating tube having at least one freefloating end.
 24. The support arm of claim 23 wherein at least one ofsaid plurality of flexible tubes includes a core, a casing surroundingsaid core in a spaced relationship to define a void between said coreand said casing, and a filling material substantially filling said void.25. A support arm comprising: a mounting base; a flexible arm segmentmounted to said base, said flexible arm segment including a core, acasing surrounding said core in a spaced relationship to define a voidbetween said core and said casing, and a filling material substantiallyfilling said void; and a component mount connected to said arm segment.26. The support arm of claim 25 wherein said flexible arm segmentincludes a plurality of discrete flexible tubes extending substantiallyparallel to one another.
 27. The support arm of claim 26 wherein each ofsaid plurality of flexible tubes includes a first end and a second end,at least one of said flexible tubes is a fixed tube including a fixedfirst end and a fixed second end, at least one of said flexible tubes isa floating tube having at least one free floating end.